Focal Sib Evo Dolby Atmos speakers should be seen and not heard

Here at Cnet, we're big fans of the Dolby Atmos surround sound standard, but there's only a handful of speaker sets you can buy. To the rescue comes the Focal Sib Evo, a Dolby Atmos compatible set of speakers which offers high defects from the front left and right modules In this $1300 package, you get two fronts, three surrounds, and a sub. The set comes with a little rubber stand to enable you to use one of the surrounds on its side as a center channel. The star of the set is the Sib Evo. This is a It's a new design for the company with a larger cabinet than the other satellites and the driver on top which bounces effects off the ceiling at you. As far as integration the satellites are very well matched and surround effects are seamless as they zoom around the room We didn't get much in the way of hide effects, though. The driver points straight up instead of being angled. Overall, though, intelligibility is good and music sounds like music. But compared against the traditional speaker, the small drivers do trade a little warmth for style. But where the system really falls down is with the new subwoofer. It's worth $380 on its own. But apart from being compact, its capabilities are limited. We found it difficult to get a good blend with the satellites, and the sound it made was relatively leaden. Articulate it is not. If you have existing Foco Cub speakers it may be worth just to get the Evo front speakers for $299. That way you can get atmos without extra outlay. Otherwise, as a system, we'd suggest buying something better. While a more talented set, more likely that will cost a few hundred dollars more, it's worth the extra investment. [MUSIC]